Chevrolet Caprice

First Drive: 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV

Undercover Sport Sedan

Yes, the Chevrolet Caprice PPV's chassis is fabulous. A very short, coned test drive on General Motors' proving grounds here revealed a large, American-size sedan that is certainly among the automaker's best-handling cars, along with the Corvette Z06 and Cadillac CTS-V. GM seems to have broken its habit of erring on the side of understeer, its CYA reaction to Ralph Nader's attack on the Chevy Corvair.

Unless you're in the witness protection program, a cousin of Jake and Elwood's, or simply a very shy enthusiast, you might want to wait for the new, civilian Chevy Caprice, expected in the 2015 model year on GM's upcoming Omega platform, set to underpin a Cadillac flagship and Buick Lucerne (go ahead, call it "Electra") replacement as well. GM engineers also are trying to get weight out of the new platform.As compelling as the handling from the Caprice PPV's Zeta chassis, and powerful as the small block 6.0-liter is, the Holden sheetmetal is plain. The nose has that pop-in-an-American-grille look of the Pontiac GTO and G8. The taillamps look to be straight from the current Impala's parts bin, and the tail could be mistaken for an Impala. That's good for undercover work, but not so good for style. If the current and '13 Malibu, Cruze, Equinox, and Camaro are any indication, the next Caprice and the next (front-wheel-drive) Impala ought to be far more handsome, expressive, and sporty-looking.

If you can't wait, Chevy sold a handful of '11 Caprice PPVs, which means you might find a few high-mileage examples on your local auction lot up to a year before the Omega platform arrives. For the 2012 model year, Chevy adds a 3.6-liter, direct-injection V-6 option, the version your humble servant sampled first. With 301 horsepower, it seems fast enough to keep up with most perps, and would be a good choice for the Barney Fifes of the world, those small-town officers who keep their service revolvers locked away at the station.The Caprice V-6 is rated 18/26 city/highway mpg on the EPA cycle, and production begins in December. The Caprice V-8 is rated 15/24 mpg and takes E85.Police departments in such safe cities might otherwise go for the familiar 302-horsepower Impala cop car with the same engine, though it's rated 17/28 mpg. Chevy offers the Caprice PPV in 9C1 Patrol form and 9C3 Detective form, the latter so named because "it's hard to call 'undercover' a car sold only to the police," according to Dana Hammer, Chevy's law enforcement vehicles manager.Maybe. But then, any perp or speeder who doesn't regularly read magazines and online sites like this isn't likely to recognize the Caprice as more than an anonymous American sedan, though its origins are Australian. It's built on the longer-wheelbase version of the Pontiac G8's Zeta chassis. That much-lamented but slow-selling sedan was based on the shorter Holden Commodore, while the Caprice is the same size as the Statesman and also is sold in the Middle East as a Chevy Caprice and in China as a Buick Park Avenue.
Holden engineered the platform for "superior NVH," with more than 50-percent high-strength or ultra-high-strength steel, and thus good body stiffness for great noise, vibration and harshness properties, which also pays off in ride-and-handling balance.The North American PPV was to have been built in Oshawa, Ontario, alongside the Zeta-based Camaro, though Chevy's spec sheet lists Elizabeth, Australia, as its assembly plant. It comes with eight airbags, including two knee bags added for the '12 model year. It's got a cop car fuel pump that automatically shuts off when the airbags deploy, which also activates the hazard lights, unlocks the doors, and looks for short-circuits in the electrical system. Police departments that equip their Caprice PPVs with rear-seat window partitions get side-curtain airbags that go just as far as the front seats.Those front seats are upholstered in a low-friction fabric, with stiff bolsters and softer center cushions to maximize comfort and make it easy for patrol officers to wear their holsters. The flat plastic center console is designed to hold laptop platforms with the floor-mounted six-speed automatic's shifter tucked under the platform. Chevy offers no column shifter.At 129.4 cubic-feet, the Caprice PPV has more interior space, and at 17.4 cubic feet, more trunk space than either the Dodge Charger- or Ford Taurus-based patrol cars, Chevy says. Pieces like the front under-hood cross member and the door latches are bolted on rather than welded, for quick and easy repair, the major advantage that kept the body-on-frame Ford Crown Victoria in production and so popular with local law enforcement for so long. Chevy says it's time for cop cars to move on to unibodies, although it still offers its RWD Tahoe as another Ford alternative.That six-speed automatic has a special "sport" mode that holds each gear longer for better acceleration when chasing the perps and for more engine braking when Burt Reynolds' character pulls a fast one.Yes, the V-6 is adequately quick, though the 6.0-liter small-block V-8 is sooo much quicker and stronger, and partners with its handling like Starsky and Hutch. From what Milford's smooth "black lake" would reveal, steering feedback is excellent, and quick. The Caprice PPV turns in and transitions as quickly as any perp can try to lose you. The brakes are very strong.Should you wait for a better-looking Caprice? Chevy hopes reviews like this build demand for the PPV 9C1 and 9C3, because it's good for local municipalities' budgets. More used car demand boosts trade-in values. One other reason to go used is that while it's a good bet there's a better-looking Caprice coming, the civilian models aren't likely to have this crisp suspension. Hope your local sheriff paints 'em black and white.

Ever since the Ford Crown Victoria-based Police Interceptor went to that big impound lot in the sky, the Detroit Three have been fine-tuning their full-size cop car bids in order to win favor with police departments.